Kiyamachi

The Kiyamachi district runs along the Takase canal in central Kyoto, lined with weeping willows and the latticed facades of traditional machiya. Tokuriki's view likely captures the canal's reflective surface, the willow branches arching over the water, and the receding row of two-story timber buildings. Such subjects allowed him to work with the geometric repetition of tile roofs and shoji screens against the organic forms of trees and water. The print employs the layered-color technique of [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga), with the artist himself responsible for designing, carving and printing the blocks—distinguishing his practice from earlier [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) workshops where these tasks were divided among separate craftsmen. The Kiyamachi subject extends Tokuriki's lifelong project of recording Kyoto's quieter neighborhoods alongside its temple landmarks, treating ordinary streets as worthy of the same compositional attention.